


Nothing as Cliché as Pearls

by soer



Series: Treasure Trove of Pearls [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2014-11-12
Packaged: 2018-01-24 14:24:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1608365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soer/pseuds/soer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They met in an isolated cove long ago and that was the moment the wheel of fate turned for them both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy AoKuro Month! (5/11 - 6/15)  
> This is a companion piece to Days as Precious as Pearls, which I have planned out but haven't written yet.

Even as a young child, I was fascinated by the surface, by the brightness of the thing called the “sun” and of a sky bluer than my scales. My cousin shared with me the same delight and fascination and we often stole away to the surface for moments at a time against our parents’ wishes.

It was on one of these excursions that we encountered a young human child, the first we had ever seen for ourselves in person. He was dark-skinned but his eyes were dazzling. Without a doubt he captured my attention. I like to think we had the same effect upon him.

_“Whoa, are you two mermaids?” Those dark blue eyes were wide with curious fascination._

_“Merfolk,” they corrected. “And you’re a human boy, aren’t you?”_

_“Yeah, I am! Wow, I thought you guys were just legends,” the boy commented, crouching down to get a better look at them both. “But you’re kids just like me, aren’t you?”_

_They nodded and he cocked his head. “I’m Aomine Daiki. What’re your names?”_

_“I’m Momoi Satsuki.”_

_“Kuroko Tetsuya.”_

_“Satsuki and Tetsu then,” he declared. “Nice to meet you.”_

We had been told countless tales of how humans were cruel monsters, but Aomine was anything but. And contrary to what humans thought, we were civilized, not just beasts of the sea. But that didn’t mean we were defenseless either. I think that was when I began to entertain the thought that humans and merfolk were the same, except in the difference of where we lived.

Our days were colored by illuminated darkness of the ocean and the brightness of the sun. Being creatures of the ocean we were not permitted to break to the surface. Being children of royalty, we were closely watched and guarded. But I was born with a low presence and my cousin an inheritance of sorcery. It was no problem for us to sneak off when palace life became dull.

As we grew older, the responsibilities on both ends grew heavier, but I still took the time to sneak off like I’ve always done. Satsuki-chan, being the crown princess, had a harder time getting away (especially after she was assigned Imayoshi as a tutor and bodyguard) but she was always ready to assist me in my endeavors. Aomine-kun, I learned, had begun learning the trade of his family, but was still willing to continue these secret meetings.

_“Tell me more about the surface, Aomine-kun.”_

_“Again?” He gave a light laugh. “You’re really interested in what’s up here, aren’t you? But it’s nothing quite as interesting as a shining city, I think.”_

_His tail flicked water onto the other. “I think it’s interesting. Tell me some human stories if daily life is so boring then.”_

_“Well, since you asked so nicely…”_

“Kuroko-sama, welcome back.” Deep purple scales shimmered as one of the palace guards, Himuro Tatsuya bowed to my return. “Would you like me to announce you?”

“No need,” I responded and moved past him to enter the lavish building. “Keep up the good work.”

As I swam down the corridor I passed by many other servants and greeted those who noticed me, ignoring those who had not. I was on a mission of stealth but it was better to have witnesses who saw me at the palace grounds than outside the border where I have often ventured.

“Kuroko-sama!” Another voice called out to me, stopping me in my tracks. Turning, I saw my personal servant and swam over to him.

“What is it, Furihata-kun?”

He was nervous, as he often was, but I was patient.

“That is… the Queen has found out about your latest trip. She is unpleased and wishes for you to see her right away.”

I frowned. This was a sore complication.

“Where is Princess Satsuki?”

“She has been confined to her room and isn’t allowed to see you until you’ve spoken with the Queen, I’m afraid.”

“Very well.”

The meeting with my aunt was rather short, but not unfamiliar to me. In the past, there were times we had been discovered breaking the rules and severely scolded. This time was no different. I could wait out my punishment time just as I had done the rest.

_“Tetsu, there you are.” His voice was heavy with relief and I looked at him with curiosity._

_“Aomine-kun, is something the matter?”_

_“I wanted to tell you sooner, but you haven’t come up for so many days that I thought I wouldn’t be able to tell you…”_

_“Tell me what? What happened?”_

_“I… I’m leaving for the capital, Tetsu. My parents passed away recently and my only relative lives there.”_

_“You’re… leaving?” I was confused; I couldn’t wrap the idea around my head. Aomine-kun and the cove had always been conjoined together – I couldn’t imagine one without the other. “When?”_

_“Today.” He gave me a sorrowful look. “Sorry Tetsu, I wanted to tell you earlier, but you haven’t been surfacing for a while.”_

_“I’m sorry. I got caught coming up the surface again.”_

_“Nah, I’m just happy that you’re fine.” He gave me a smile, or tried to. I could see the traces of sadness in those dark blue eyes – he was unhappy to leave and I was unhappy to see him go._

_“Listen Tetsu. This will have to be the last time we see each other.” His entire being radiated seriousness. “Even though the capital isn’t so far away, I don’t ever want you to visit or try to seek me out over there, do you understand?”_

_I couldn’t keep the hurt out of my voice. “Why not?” What was the difference between one human village and another?_

_“Because I don’t want to see you captured or sighted, Tetsu. It’s for your safety. This island village doesn’t have a lot of people, so I can sneak out here just fine. But the island capital? Tetsu, there are twenty times as many people over there than there are over here! You can’t come – it’s too risky. If even one person spots you, you’ll be in danger.”_

_I was stunned. I couldn’t argue against that logic. What could I say to make him stay? But his eyes had indicated that it was not his choice to make. I was familiar with that feeling – my heritage made it a constant companion._

_Still, what would I not do to make him stay, though we had always been divided by the origin of our births._

_“Will I ever see you again?”_

_He shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know. Sorry Tetsu.”_

_“This is good-bye then.” I couldn’t help the tremor that appeared in my voice and gentle hands brushed the corner of my eyes, the saltwater hardening into pearls as my kind were known to do._

_“Yeah,” he murmured. “I suppose it is.” He bent down and before I was aware of what had happened, he kissed my lips and pulled away again. “Good-bye Tetsu.”_

I remember little of the days that followed my human friend’s departure. I only know that I spent my time in the confines of my room, listless. There were whispers in the corridors, whispers in the hallways as my condition became known to the others. I did not care. I cared for nothing in those days.

“Tetsu-kun, please eat something.” My concerned cousin often visited me in those days, and as stubborn as she was, no one could defy her wishes, except for her iron-willed mother.

“I can’t. I have no appetite.”

“But—”

“Satsuki-chan, do you know of a spell to cure emptiness?” I gave her a sorrowful expression. “A strange feeling plagues me… I can’t describe it but the closest I can come to naming it is emptiness.”

“Emptiness?” She scrutinized me with furrowed brows. “I don’t know the emotion personally, but I think I know what you are talking about. They call it lovesickness, when one is separated from their partner. But to be lovesick…” she trailed off and I finished her thought.

“I have to be in love first right? But I’m not in love.”

Satsuki frowned at me. “This might be speculation, but I think you were in love with Dai-chan. You said he kissed you, didn’t he?”

I frowned back at her. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I was in _love_ with him,” I protested, flicking my tail back and forth.

“Maybe you just didn’t realize it.” She commented.

Despite my disbelief, her suggestion ran through my head all day. Had I fallen in love with Aomine-kun? Had he loved me? There was no way to know, but for the first time in a while, I felt something more than just listlessness. When the other citizens saw me moving about, relieved smiles broke out on their faces. I felt apologetic for making them worry about me.

“Can you make me human?”

“What?”

“I want to go to the surface and find Aomine-kun, but I can’t do that with a tail.” I flicked my own to emphasize my point. “Please Satsuki-chan, would you know of any way possible?”

She frowned. “It’s risky, but I know of two ways. One would be to use Mother’s Trident, but it works only for her. The second is an ancient spell…”

But I wasn’t to be dissuaded even though she made me think carefully about it. I knew what I wanted.

“In exchange for becoming human, you will lose your memory. The spell won’t last forever – you have to get him to kiss you before two weeks is over, or you will revert back to your true self. When he does kiss you, and it has to be true love’s kiss, mind you, you’ll regain all your memories but you’ll retain human form. Knowing this, are you sure?” She was standing by her empty cauldron, waiting for my answer.

But she knew what I would choose.

“Do it.”

She offered me a potion and I drank it. The transformation wasn’t taking place right away, but there was a reason for that. I had to reach the surface before I became human or I would be dead even before I found Aomine-kun again. Humans couldn’t survive as deep in the ocean as we did.

I hugged Satsuki before I sped out of her grotto, headed towards the surface.

Slowly, I felt myself beginning to change and I forced myself to go faster.

Behind me, some distance away, I heard voices behind me. But I couldn’t turn back now.

My tail changed and split, the pain was excruciating but I bore with it. It was only when my head started to become dizzy that I panicked.

I broke through the water to the surface and was unexpectedly met by hard rain. It was also then that I noticed the angry waves of the sea, but at that point I was too weak to fight against the roiling water, not to mention my powerful tail was turning weaker by the moment.

But the shoreline was in reach. I could spot it. The waves tossed me around but I persistently kept going. Even so, my head became dizzier until I no longer had the strength to hold my own against the ocean.

As blackness came overcame me, the last I was aware of was the hard sand of the surface coating my pale back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [soundscape](http://archiveofourown.org/users/soundscape/pseuds/soundscape) and [kiteflower](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kiteflower/pseuds/kiteflower) for your help with this chapter!

The prince was due to arrive home today, but no one had expected a storm to brew up. While most people huddled indoors, Aomine went out into the harbor to check the security of his uncle’s boats, not wanting them to come free from their bindings by the rough waves beneath them. Rain beat down against his face like small beads but he ignored it in favor of the boats.

It was when he was about to return home that he saw a pale speck in the distant waters. He squinted his eyes to get a closer look. Was something out there or was he imagining things? It would be easy to mistake anything with the rain pounding down on him and he didn’t want to stay out any longer than he had to.

But the idea of the speck being a person lost at sea nagged at him, and he ran down to the beach to get closer access to the ocean.

Aomine jogged down the long stretch of the beach scanning the dark waters for any sign of the speck he had spotted earlier.

“Hey! Anyone there?” He called out into the rain, hoping that if it was a person, they would able to give a reply so he could find them faster.

That is… if he could even hear an answer above the crashing waves.

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the greatest of ideas.

Aomine wasn’t going to let that stop him from looking.

So busy scouring the waves, Aomine didn’t notice the figure laying on the sand until he had tripped over him, falling down hard onto the wet sand.

“Ow! Agh, what the hell was-” he scowled as he turned over, but all complaints died in his throat when he saw who he had tripped over.

The skin was pale but that hair… that face…

Aomine would know that face anywhere.

“Tetsu?” he whispered, stunned.

But that was impossible. Tetsu wasn’t human. He was a merman, complete with a beautiful light blue tail and gills at the sides of his neck. He didn’t have legs. There was no way that this could be him.

But Aomine wasn’t about to let him just stay there on the beach, not with how cold the other’s skin felt against his own palms. He scooped the lighter being into his arms and ran back to his home, careful not to trip over anything on the way back. His uncle had been called away to help his friend in another village so Aomine would be alone until he returned in a month. Which was fine for Aomine now that he had a guest.

He heard a commotion on his way back to his home, but ignored it. Once he returned home, he took a clean towel and dried the naked teen before wrapping him up in as much layers as he could to warm the kid up. Even unconscious, Aomine had felt the body shivering and he was afraid the other might have caught hypothermia.

“Hey, don’t die on me alright? You still got a lot of explaining to do,” he muttered as he took off his own wet clothes and put on something warmer before cuddling next to the other and hoping his own internal body heat would help warm the other up. It was a long time, but Aomine eventually drifted off to sleep.

-

When he woke up the next morning the other was still asleep, but Aomine was relieved to find he was at a normal temperature, although he was slightly sticky from the sweat last night. Aomine vaguely remembered getting the smaller male a cup of water sometime in the night, but couldn’t remember if anything else happened after that.

He stared at the sleeping face intensely, his own crinkled in confusion. Aomine couldn’t believe how clearly the other’s features shone in the daylight, so different from the darkness in which Aomine had rescued him the night before.

The face was like from a dream – he couldn’t believe the similarities between the teen and the merman from his childhood.

“Tetsu, can this really be you?” he whispered, lightly touching the pale cheek. He marveled at how light it was, a stark contrast to his own sun-tanned skin.

At his touch, the other began to stir and he withdrew his hand, waiting patiently for the other to awaken fully. When he did, Aomine’s dark blue eyes met with baby blue ones, and his breath caught in his throat.

“Where am I?”

It took a minute for Aomine to respond but he did, calmly. “My place. I carried you here. Anyway, what the heck were you thinking?! Swimming out in that storm?!”

“… I’m sorry. I must have caused you a lot of trouble.”

Aomine snorted. “Yeah, you got that right.”

“Thank you for saving me…?”

“Aomine,” he supplied. “Aomine Daiki.” His eyes never left the other’s face, waiting for some sort of recognition to flicker register on the other but none did.

“I’m Kuroko Tetsuya. Thank you for saving me, Aomine-kun.”

Aomine’s throat tightened. Everything was the same. But this couldn’t be.

“Kuroko, huh,” he said, trying to play it off as nothing. “You know, I knew a kid with that name. Actually, you look a lot like him.” He gave the other an expectant glance.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know you. Actually…” Kuroko frowned in thought. “I can’t remember anything about my past except for my name, now that I think about it.”

Aomine was surprised by that statement. Who wouldn’t be? But he pushed it aside for the moment, deciding to focus on the current state of his guest rather than bombard the other with questions. After all, no matter how badly he wanted to ask, there was no way he would get the answers he sought at this stage. Aomine understood that.

“Well, there’s no helping it then,” he said as he stood up. “Until you get your memories back, you can stay with me, okay? I’ll do my best to help you out, but in the end it’s up to you.” He walked over to the small closet in the corner of the room and rummaged through it. “My clothes are probably too big for you, but my old ones should fit okay… Ah, this doesn’t look too bad.” He came back to the bed holding a plain shirt and pant. “Put this one on like this, and this one like this,” Aomine instructed, helping the other into the soft cloth.

Aomine stepped back to admire his handiwork. Even his old clothes seemed big on the other, but there was to be no helping it. “I’ll go get breakfast ready and we can go shopping after,” he said as he turned away, only to be held back by a grip on his shirt.

“...Why are you helping me?” Kuroko’s curious voice asked. “I might not even be the boy you knew from before, so why are you being so kind?”

Aomine paused at that. Just why was he helping this stranger out? Just because he looked like Tetsu didn’t mean he was Tetsu.

But he knew Tetsu, just like he knew the salt of the ocean, the brightness of the day. He was as familiar as fishing, as natural as swimming, as instinctive as breathing, so it would only be fitting that Aomine would recognize the other even though he himself wasn’t recognized. His instincts had never lead him awry before, so he would be more than foolish if he ignored what his gut was telling him.

“Does there have to be a reason? I’m helping someone who’s lost. You might say I’m just being a good Samaritan.” Gently he removed the other’s hand from his shirt and left the room, leaving the other alone to his thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Aomine made them a simple breakfast but found himself spending the majority of the time watching over his guest instead scarfing everything down as he usually did. The paler man had trouble with his utensils, staring at them like they were foreign objects – which, Aomine supposed, wasn’t untrue.

“Here, hold it like this,” Aomine said, demonstrating with his fork before reaching over and helping Kuroko grasp it. Fortunately, the smaller male was a quick learner so he was soon using the tool proficiently.

“How do you like it?” Aomine asked. “I’m not the greatest of cooks, but I’m fairly decent.”

“It’s… strange, but it tastes good,” Kuroko admitted, and Aomine leaned back satisfied. He’d been a merman, so it would make sense that food on land would be different from what he was used to. Aomine didn’t think they could eat fried eggs underwater.

“After we get you some clothes we can something to eat. You like sweet stuff, don’tcha?”

Kuroko shrugged. “I guess.”

They finished eating and Aomine cleared the table. Kuroko hovered curiously at his elbow as he did the dishes, fascinated with the process. Aomine let him dry the dishes before they both went out.

The downtrodden path was the same as it had ever been since Aomine had moved in with his uncle and he hardly thought anything of the dirt path, but this day he paid more attention to the ground than usual. This was for the sake of his companion who had trouble walking and seemed likely to trip over each and every small bump in his way. Automatically, Aomine had taken hold of Kuroko’s hand to lead and steady the other at the same time. He could tell from Kuroko’s expression that he was grateful for his help, but the feeling slid off Aomine. It was only natural for Aomine to help – it was unfathomable that Kuroko, having lived in the sea for so long, would be in every sense human, no matter what he looked like.

It was strange for Aomine, but he opted to just go with the flow instead of causing a headache for himself. _‘Teach him how to survive on land first. We can work on memories later,’_ he told himself as they walked. It wasn’t long before they reached the marketplace, and when they did, Aomine couldn’t help but let out a chuckle to see the wonder on Kuroko’s face.

Aomine had no problem taking the lead, and on the way to the tailor, he took the time to explain the details of anything that caught Kuroko’s eye. Which turned out to be a lot, and Aomine soon found himself tired of walking through the expansive marketplace, his throat parched from needing to talk more often than he ever did. Kuroko, too, felt worn-out by the excursion, but he was also stubborn and unwilling to stop. He was too fascinated by everything he saw in the marketplace, all the delicious smells and vibrant colors on display accompanied by the smiling owners hoping to acquiesce a sale from potential customers.

They reached the tailor shop and luckily for them, the tailor already had two customers ahead of them. This gave them both time to rest, and they sat down on the chairs of the small waiting room. Once they sat down, Aomine told Kuroko what to expect from the tailor.

“You won’t be doing much but standing and letting the guy measure you, so don’t worry ‘bout it so much. Do you have any colors you want to wear? Or is anything fine?”

“Anything’s fine,” Kuroko responded. “What should I ask him?”

Aomine flapped his hand, brushing the question aside. “Nothing. I’ll say all the specifics. As long as you stand still and turns when he tells ya… it’ll be over before you know it.”

Ten minutes later, it was their turn to be fitted. While Kuroko stood on the platform in front of the large mirror, Aomine told the tailor what they required.

“He’s on the smaller side so that shouldn’t take me long,” the tailor said as he measured Kuroko, dropping numbers to his assistant who hastily wrote them down in a notebook. “Just some outerwear?”

“And a couple of sleeping outfits. For a whole week, at least,” Aomine responded. “How much would that cost?”

“Twenty-six silver coins,” the tailor responded. “What color did you want?”

“Whatever’s available and you think looks good,” Aomine responded. “How soon can you finish it?”

“In two days’ time. Is that acceptable?”

Aomine nodded and let the tailor complete his work. When he was finished, he handed over the payment and walked out of the store. A couple of turns led them back inside the marketplace and Aomine led them over to a dango stall.

“Here, try this,” he said, handing the treat over to Kuroko.

He took it and bit into the dango cautiously, but that melted away with the sudden burst of flavor in his mouth. Aomine laughed at his expression before ordering two more stalks from the vendor. Kuroko devoured the new-found treat with relish as Aomine ate his at a slower pace. After they finished with the dango, Aomine bought other treats for Kuroko to try, smiling at the other’s delight as his palette expanded.

“Aomine-kun, what do you do?” Kuroko asked as they walked, with only a slight wonder at how familiar the name was on his tongue. It had come out automatically, just like the first time he had said it, when Aomine had rescued him.

“Hm? I’m a fisherman, learned the trade from my pops.” Aomine replied, languidly eating the kabobs they had bought only a couple minutes ago.

“Where is he now?”

Aomine paused, but answered anyway. “Dead. It was in an accidently some time ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Kuroko said but Aomine waved it away.

“Don’t be. I’m living with uncle now, and he won’t be back until a month passes. You can stay as long as you need to.”

“Thank you.”

They took the long way back, and ended up walking along the shoreline of the beach.

“Do you think swimming will jog your memory?” Aomine asked, looking out over the expanse of rolling water, calm and steady unlike the storm of the night Kuroko had been found on.

“Perhaps.” But the waters held no familiarity for him, much like everything else he encountered.

“We’ll go tomorrow. Fishing too – can’t let the business sink while uncle’s away, ya know?”

Kuroko nodded but his mind was occupied. He was determined to regain his memories as soon as possible, but it was hard when nothing around him was familiar and when he struggled with tasks that he saw everyone else doing so naturally. Like walking for instance. He was still holding Aomine’s hand because he couldn’t trust himself not to fall, especially on uneven ground like the beach where one’s foot sank down with every step.

“What was I like?” he asked, looking at Aomine intently.

“Eh?” Aomine was thrown off by the sudden question but answered, slowly, sorting through old memories with every word. “You… were a really blunt person. Smart, and curious. Really curious. You asked me all sorts of stuff.”

“Like what?” Kuroko prodded.

“Where did I live, what did I do, what it was like being on l-, I mean on the beach all the time, that sort of stuff,” Aomine said, hoping Kuroko didn’t catch his slip up. He didn’t want to tell the truth on Kuroko’s origins just yet – not only because he was afraid Kuroko wouldn’t believe him, but if he spoke of it to any others, not only would he be called a lunatic, but people might dig into the matter deeper than he wanted them to.

“Weren’t we friends? Why did I ask things like that?”

“You weren’t able to leave the house, so I came and told you what I did whenever I had time to stop by. I haven’t seen you since I moved here.” That was the truth, certainly. And Kuroko’s skin was pale enough that it didn’t see a lot of sun, so being kept indoors was a perfectly valid reason.

“Oh. What else can you tell me?” Kuroko didn’t bother with pointing out the near slip-up he had caught. There was something Aomine wasn’t telling him, but Kuroko supposed it was related to his missing memories. Kuroko didn’t think Aomine was lying to him with the purpose of ill-intent. Probably just caution. Kuroko would wait until Aomine decided to reveal it in the days to come.

They spent the rest of the day talking about the past and what a younger Aomine was like, Kuroko laughing at all the funny stories he felt were clear exaggerations but which Aomine swore to be true.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning the two of them set off to the harbor. They were going sailing – Aomine had the notion that being on ocean water would help jog Kuroko’s memories. Kuroko was more than a little skeptical on the idea, but he was willing to try it out. Because they weren’t out on official business, Aomine took one of the smaller boats, pulling Kuroko up after him. Aomine, being well-versed with the area, took the lead, rowing them out until they were a fair distance away from shore. Letting Aomine row, Kuroko turned his gaze to the blue of the open sea, allowing the salty breeze to assault his senses.

“How do you feel? Refreshing, isn’t it?”

Aomine’s mouth was spread in a wide grin – he was sure that being out away from land was sure to help Kuroko’s memory. He had thought about taking Kuroko swimming but legs worked differently from tails and he was hesitant about taking the risk.

“Actually, I think I feel quite sick, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko responded, his face turning a sickly pallor. He gripped onto the side of his boat to steady himself, but the action didn’t help much as the boat swayed with every motion.

Aomine’s expression fell when he realized their excursion was having the opposite effect of what he had hoped would happen. “Ah damn. Hold on, I’ll row us back.”

Kuroko did his best to hold down the queasiness of his stomach, but the more the boat swayed, the more he was fighting a losing battle. Not wanting to ruin the boat, Kuroko turned to face the ocean, and leaned a little over the side, waiting for the bile he held to spew out. Luckily he hadn’t eaten much this morning, so there wasn’t much that came out. Unfortunately, he had leaned too far out on the side and ended up falling overboard, not strong enough to keep a good grip on the small boat. He had barely splashed into that deep blue water when Aomine noticed and jumped out after him, panicked.

“Shit! Hang on, Tetsu!”

For someone who weighed very little, Kuroko found himself sinking rather fast. He tried to struggle against the ocean water, but the action seemed to be of very little use. The water covered him and seemed to sink into him, attempting to suffocate him with all of it might. Blearily, he could see Aomine above him, but more than that he remembered being tossed about by broiling, angry waves, the stormy, discordant sea.

Something gripped his arms before he could delve further into the past, and he felt himself being pulled upwards, pressed against something solid and strong. Fighting against the water pressure, Kuroko felt them swimming up, climbing higher and higher until they broke through to the surface. While Kuroko coughed and fought to get air into his lungs, Aomine hefted him up into the boat, where he lay sprawled on the wood, energy entirely spent. On the other hand, Aomine stayed in the water and pushed the boat back in the direction of the shore. He was heavier than Kuroko and didn’t want to risk overturning the small vessel with his actions.

“I’m sorry,” Kuroko said after a moment.

“Don’t be. I should’ve been more attentive,” Aomine responded. “How do you feel? Still nauseous?”

“No, not really.”

“Tell me if you do and we’ll stop for a couple of minutes.”

“Okay.”

Laying on his back, Kuroko’s gaze landed on the bright sky above him. Strangely, though his body was swaying, he didn’t feel the queasiness rise up in him like it had a moment ago. In fact, it was quite soothing. If Kuroko didn’t think the moment was so dreamlike, he would have said it was a familiar feeling, looking up at the sky with the rocking waves below him.

Not long after that, Aomine climbed back onto the boat, flopping down tiredly on the wooden surface. “We’re not too far off and the wind is blowing in the right direction. It won’t be long until shore now.”

“I’m sorry for ruining your plans,” Kuroko said quietly.

Aomine glanced over at him in surprise. “Are you still thinking about that? Don’t be ridiculous. The whole point of the trip was to see if we could spark up some memories. There’s always next time if this time doesn’t work out.”

“…Thank you, Aomine-kun.”

“How did you get seasick though? I didn’t think that was possible…” Aomine muttered, more to himself than anything else, but Kuroko heard it anyway.

“Didn’t think it was possible?” Kuroko furrowed his brow. “Have I been on boats before?”

Aomine scratched his head. “Well… you’re very comfortable in the water, so I didn’t think getting seasick was possible. Swimming and sailing… aren’t they about the same?”

Kuroko thought about the matter then shook his head. “No, I don’t think they are. Thank you for trying though.”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it.”

The shoreline came closer until it was no longer in the distance, only a few steps closer. Aomine climbed out at that point and pushed the boat until it was out of the water and was in no danger of drifting out with the flowing tide. Kuroko climbed out but wasn’t able to keep his balance in the transition from sea to shore, and he ended up falling on the sand. He winced at the initial contact of sand against his back, but that thought went away with Aomine’s voice.

“Tetsu? You alright?”

Hearing Aomine saying his name brought a certain bubble of warmth in Kuroko’s chest, and somehow he knew that he would never tire of hearing it over and over again. That particular realization stained his cheeks red, which in turn caused Aomine to bring his hand over Kuroko’s forehead to check his temperature.

“I’m fine,” Kuroko hastily replied. Taking Aomine’s offered hand, Kuroko allowed himself to be pulled upright, but it still took a long moment for Kuroko to keep his balance. When he found it, he walked back to the water until his feet were submerged up to the ankles, watching the coldness come forward and recede slowly in a hypnotic motion. Aomine came to stand next to him.

“Do you remember anything?”

“No.” Though he liked standing in the water, Kuroko felt certain he would be in danger of drowning if he went any further. It was a confusing emotion, as if something was preventing him from going too deep into the ocean’s clutches. Perhaps it was from a traumatic memory – that seemed to be the only possible explanation.

“Why do you like the ocean, Aomine-kun?” he asked, voice gentle with curiosity.

His friend’s voice was distant when he replied. “I love the ocean… because it connects me to you. That’s how we first met.” Aomine smiled with fondness at the memory.

“Is that so,” Kuroko commented when Aomine neglected to continue the story. Aomine began to respond when Kuroko’s stomach let out a complaint and the shorter of the two stiffened from embarrassment.

“That’s right, we didn’t each much this morning.” Aomine chuckled. “See if you can stomach a short trip, Tetsu,” he said, starting to push the boat back out into the sea. Kuroko climbed in just before they reached the water and Aomine jumped in shortly after, grabbing hold of the paddles to row them over to the harbor some miles away. They docked safely, and after securing their vessel, began the trek home.

“Aomine-kun, what’s so special about tomorrow?” Kuroko asked, his attention caught by a bright flyer.

“Hmm?” Aomine bent forward to peer at the pink paper that stood out against the pale yellow wall of the building. “Oh yeah it’s market day. Things go on sale tomorrow and new shipments get revealed and sold. Wanna go?”

Kuroko nodded and Aomine ruffled his hair. “We’ll get your clothes from the tailor and go to the marketplace afterwards. Sound good?”

“Yeah.”


End file.
